Category Archives: Style

Carbon Brews The Baltic Proper

Brewery: Carbon Brews
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: 38 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Munich T1, Special W, Caramunich T2, Black Patent and Carafa Special T3. Hops – Willamette and Hellertau. Yeast – 34/70

Brewer Description: (from can) Experience – dark chocolate, coffee, rich dark malt.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 30th April 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty dark malt, chocolate, coffee, and caramel, with notes of dark fruit and nuttiness.
Taste: Roasty dark malt, toasty bitterness, dark chocolate, nutty, and coffee, with notes of sweet dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Looks great with good dark chocolate bitter flavours. I was hoping for stronger dark fruit, but still, it was enjoyable.

Sand City x Evil Twin Even Mo Hygge

Brewery: Sand City Brewing Co. x Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 14.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from website) Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Evil Twin Brewing. This imperial stout pours like motor oil with a thick and creamy head. Notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and molasses. Dangerously drinkable given its high ABV.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.95
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 23rd February 2018. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin half finger brown head that dissipated almost immediately, but left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, moderate roast, chocolate, brown sugar, licorice, caramel, and toffee, with hints of vanilla, marshmallow, and some nutty notes.
Taste: Roasty, sweet, dark chocolate, caramel, fudgy, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, and coffee, with a light but lasting bitter and boozy finish.
Mouthfeel: Syrupy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were good, but taste was a touch too sweet and syrupy for me. It was still quite drinkable as a slow sipper though.

Alvinne Cuvée Freddy Bosbes-Blueberry

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dark Fruit Sour Ale. Sweet 3/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Foeder aged dark sour ale with Canadian blueberries.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of June 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a one finger beige head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish, tart, blueberry skin, mixed berries, oak, with a splash of caramel, maybe even coffee.
Taste: Tart, sour, blueberry skin, blueberry, vinous, red wine, with a hint of caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Another enjoyable beer by Alvinne, but the blueberries wasn’t as prominent as I had hoped for.

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Sleedoorn-Sloeberries

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fruit Sour. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Foeder aged blond sour with foraged sloeberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of May 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy murky rusty dark orange brown colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour fruit, berry skin, blackberries, oak, with hints of funk and acetone.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark berry skin, mixed dark berries, plum, oak, a touch acidic, and hints of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: I have no idea what sloeberries are supposed to smell or taste like, but this was enjoyable and great to drink.

Alvinne Batch #1000 Abrikoos-Apricot

Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fruit Sour Ale. Sweet 2/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 1/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Batch 1000, a milestone on our craft beer journey. We made a long boil blond sour and barrel aged it on American oak St-Emilion (red wine) barrels. This beer was macerated on apricots for 2 months.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty copper orange colour with some light sediment and a thin, large bubbly one fingered off white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas, but tart, funky, oak, lightly vinous and touches of apricot.
Taste: Light sour, tart, vinous, grape, oak, light funk and apricot.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I preferred the original base version more. I felt that the additions of apricot seemed to have taken away from the nice strong barrel character that just wasn’t as prominent in this version.